What the ribbon means
A red ribbon is exactly that — a one-metre red streamer tied to the centre of your wing’s trailing edge. You fly with one from EP until you’ve logged at least ten hours beyond your Club Pilot — whether or not you join the Red Ribbon Club. It does three things, and all of them are in your favour:
- Pilots in the air can spot a newcomer and give you the extra room and consideration you want while you’re finding your feet.
- Low-airtime pilots can spot each other on the hill — instant company at the same stage of flying.
- Coaches and experienced pilots can spot you — so help, briefings and a pre-flight check find you without you having to ask.
Who it’s for
The Red Ribbon Club is open to current BHPA members holding a Club Pilot rating who are members of the SHGC. There’s nothing to pay and nothing formal to sign up to — tick the Red Ribbon box in your member account, tie on a ribbon, and come along.
How it runs
It’s deliberately informal. We aim for a coaching day every flyable weekend, run by club coach Robin Fitzgerald with help from our other BHPA club coaches — all unpaid volunteers giving up their own flying time. Meets are decided off the forecast and posted on Friday evening to the RRC Telegram group (and the upcoming meets list below). Expect site briefings, pre-flight checks, flight plans and a debrief afterwards.
One thing we don’t use: radios. As a Club Pilot you are pilot in command — coaching happens on the ground, before and after your flight, and the decisions in the air stay yours.
Between meets, work through Tasks to improve your flying in the members’ area — the coaching tick-list that turns airtime into progress.
The slope-landing rule
Two pieces of the club’s guidance apply here, because they matter:
Red ribbons should not slope land— apart from on the Mount Caburn spur — until they have at least ten hours’ experience post-Club Pilot. If you’re too low to top land, push out and bottom land.
And if your slope landing, top landing or reverse launch practicals aren’t yet signed off, complete them with your school before flying our hills — an instructor’s signature, not a coach’s nod.
Upcoming RRC meets
Meets are visible to signed-in Red Ribbon members. Sign in to see what’s coming up — or join the club if you’re not a member yet.
Come and find us
The fastest way in is the RRC Telegram group — that’s where Friday’s meet call lands first. Questions, or not sure you’re ready? Robin would far rather hear from you early: rrc@shgc.org.uk.